Shadow Hearts II: Summer Rain
by Tiger5913
Summary: While enjoying a nice, quiet afternoon walking through the Forest of Wind, Kurando and Anastasia get caught in the rain. [Kurando x Anastasia, fluff]


10/25/04

Disclaimer: The characters in this fic, such as Kurando, Anastasia, etc. don't belong to me; they are property of Midway, so don't sue! ;.;

Dedications: God, my friends, my cousins, my readers, Midway for gracing this magnificent RPG with a sequel, despite the ending they chose to go off of, and finally, sudden inspiration for making me write this during periods of boredom (school).

**Shadow Hearts II: Summer Rain**

**By Tiger5913**

"It's official! This is definitely one of my favorite places to be."

A light, girlish giggle of contentment mingled with the air as the young observer beamed a wide grin at the beautiful setting, her quiet, still posture an unusual contrast to her typical behavior. The looping circles of her twin braids gently drifted with the motion of the wind, but despite the slight chill of the weather, the kimono-clad girl didn't even seem to be aware of it, as the generous warmth of the sun was basking down over her bare arms. She raised both hands just then, and clasped them together before pressing the union next to her cheek as her petite form began to sway in an entranced, dream-like state. Though it was early summer, gray clouds hung high above, lingering with the possibility of rain soon to come, but neither of the two teenagers paid attention to the forecast, willingly distracted by merely being together.

Fully aware of his ease, the dark-haired samurai standing next to her sent a small smile her way even though her back was facing him, and once again, inwardly thought just how appealing she looked in her current outfit, but said nothing to indicate such. Instead, he tried to think of ways to prepare for the presumed-final battle against the former military soldier, Kato Masaji, who was now an angst-filled man full of remorse and regret, no longer having any regard for life. Saki Inugami, the leader of Inugami Village, had bestowed the young successor with a new fusion form just a couple of days ago in hopes that it would assist him with that fight, and so he was trying to adjust to the new instincts boiling inside. He traveled with a group of friends in opposition to the threat of evil, and their leader, who surprisingly turned out to be his cousin, had encouraged everyone to take a little time to relax before they journeyed into the Asuka Stone Platform.

While the others had gone their own ways and revisited their favorite people and places, the seventeen-year-old decided to return to his hometown and see his mother before the inevitable fated encounter, just in case… A week prior, he had stopped by and did her the favor of checking a disturbance in the sacred Inugami Dog Shrine, but a strong instinct told him to go back once again and sure enough, Saki had an important issue to discuss with him. Talk was exchanged between the Inugami Village leader and her son, and after the necessary battle of initiation, he had a new ogre monster to fuse with, and he would also receive his mother's position very soon. His young Russian companion, who was presently standing a few feet in front of him, had eagerly offered to stay in the village with him until he was ready to leave and rejoin their friends, and he certainly didn't mind her company in the least bit, so he let her.

"Kurando?" the girl spoke up suddenly, addressing her companion with an upcoming question, although she didn't cease her rhythmic motion. "Did you used to come here a lot?"

A bit startled at having the tranquility shattered, Kurando Inugami shook his head slightly to refocus before he answered quietly, "Yes. My friends and I used to play in this forest when we were children, and also, up to today, I sometimes join my mother for a walk here. Many of the villagers like to wander around in the Forest of Wind, but they never come alone because of the occasional monsters."

"Monsters? Oh, all I've seen here are those slimy little slugs, and the flying bird-men! Just tell the others to step on the slugs," she exclaimed boldly, the fire of determination shining brightly in her eyes as she continued with, "And as for those bird-men… well, they usually ran away whenever we came across one, remember? I don't think they like being around people."

He chuckled softly at the firm resolve of her wise advice; "You're probably right, but unfortunately, not many of the villagers share your bravery, Anastasia. That is why they rely on my mother and me to protect everyone."

"Um, is your mom still going to help protect the village even though you're the new leader?" Princess Anastasia Romanov inquired earnestly, and unknown to him, her expression was glowing with adoration when she recalled the conversation she had with his mother, and heard the older woman's… 'interesting' exclamation of his recent gain of incredible strength.

"I think so, although I'm not leader just yet. When Yuri and the rest of us finish taking care of that man, Kato, I'll have to go through a ceremony in Inugami Village before I officially take over that position." The young successor informed her, an edge of seriousness and mature responsibility in his voice.

"Ooh, a ceremony…" she repeated with interest, and then thought silently to herself, _it's probably also to celebrate Kurando becoming a man, I guess…_ "That sounds like fun! You can celebrate becoming the new leader, and for saving the world from Kato with us!"

"I suppose," Kurando smiled a bit at her enthusiasm, "but I wouldn't want the villagers to think that I'm getting a big head for helping all of you stop him. I'll be happy just knowing that everyone is safe."

His humble modesty made the chestnut-haired girl sigh dreamily as her crush on him grew all the more, although of course, she didn't say anything that would indicate any change of intensity. She just closed her eyes and tried to picture the teenage fusionist at his ceremony, presumably dressed in brand-new attire to show his role of leadership, maybe even an extravagant outfit like his mother's. After the celebration was over, he would officially become the main protector of Inugami Village… and maybe at that time, he would realize that he needed someone to share the responsibilities with. For all of the hard work and dedication that Saki had devoted to the village, she deserved to have a simpler life, and enjoy many days of peace and leisure activities long before her time's end.

Remembering the beautiful, mysterious widow's blessing on the relationship between her son and the princess, Anastasia giggled delightfully and briefly fingered the material of her brightly-colored kimono. Although, on the subject of her recent 'engagement' to Kurando, she silently suspected that the fiancé-in-question knew nothing about it, and wondered if she had to inform him, or wait for Saki to do it. The young Russian girl felt a bit hesitant about telling him because she had no idea what his reaction would be, fearing a thoroughly negative one, but he certainly had to find out before anyone else did. Since she was thinking of him, she turned slightly to glance at the dark-haired young man now, her eyes widening a little in surprise when she discovered that he was already looking at her with those fathomless crimson irises.

"Um… er…" she scrambled for something, anything to say when she was so entranced by his warm, but intense silent gaze on her, and then the foreshadowing clouds overhead saved her just then from having to initiate conversation. A small wet drop fell onto her nose all of a sudden, and then princess gasped softly before she raised her head to look at the sky, and was promptly rewarded with more water sprinkling down onto her face. "Oh! I-it's raining!"

Kurando followed her motion and glanced up as well, then suggested quickly, "Let's hurry back to the village before it starts raining harder." After she nodded in agreement, he gestured for her to follow him as he began to head down the main path of the forest that would lead back to Inugami Village over some distance.

The fourteen-year-old immediately tailed him with both arms raised to cover her hair as she ran, and soon noticed that the rain was rapidly turning the dirt into mud that splattered up too easily. "Oh, no! Kurando, my kimono…! It's going to get dirty!"

He didn't say anything in reply, but nodded briskly and the two slowed their pace a bit as the young samurai peered around; he suddenly veered off to the side and ducked under a large tree. Anastasia felt slightly confused by his action, thinking that water would still slide through the branches and soak them, but nevertheless, she trusted his judgment and went toward his direction. When she got to his side, she was surprised to find Kurando performing the elaborate ritual of untying the strings that secured his hakama top together, which obviously suggested that he intended to take it off. Just as he simultaneously slipped both arms out of the holes, she opened her mouth to ask him what he was doing, but her question immediately flew away when the older teenager stepped in closely to her.

"I hope this will help," he remarked, and then raised the samurai robe top above her head before settling it down over her hair, the edge dangling around her eyes as the rest of the hakama covered her petite frame down to about waist-level.

"K-Kurando…?!" the princess fumbled as she tried to think of a better, more intelligent-sounding response than a mere, nervous stutter of astonishment.

"Now, let's keep going until we reach the village. There is a small hut next to the main garden at the entrance of Inugami Village - we can use that as shelter until the rain calms down a bit," he instructed, though he did glance tentatively at his companion for her consent.

Since she didn't exactly have a plan of her own, the chestnut-haired girl nodded in agreement, and so Kurando turned to start off once more, but he was momentarily halted when two small hands suddenly grabbed a hold of his left arm. He immediately stopped in his tracks and looked back, not too surprised to find Anastasia right by his side, and with a cute giggle, she began to run forward without any warning, dragging the unprepared fusionist behind her. He was caught off-guard at first, but when he recovered, he was able to match the speed of her sprint without much difficulty, and a small smile graced his lips at witnessing one of her spontaneous bouts of enthusiasm. His compelling crimson eyes watched her slender form intently as the twin red ribbons dangling from the back of his hakama top twirled and danced with the wispy breeze, right in front of him, but never quite close enough to touch.

The young swordsman shivered slightly when a sharp chill penetrated the thin material of his mist-white undershirt, but one look at Anastasia donning his dark-colored robe immediately warmed him inside. At that realization, his expression twisted to show confusion; by this point in time, even he now knew how she felt about him, but he had never thought of a way to appropriately respond to her affections. She fawned over him a little too much in a couple of instances, but otherwise, he found her attention and adoration to be very flattering – she even had more concern for his well-being than anyone else in their group, herself included. Although she was a princess who had lived with many luxuries, her attitude was not at all like that of a snooty aristocrat, for she didn't mind sleeping outdoors in just a tent as opposed to a nice room at an inn.

In battle, the young girl was rather inexperienced compared to their other companions, but she learned very quickly, and was a great help when it came to either supporting the frontline attackers, or taking out a large group of enemies with her powerful Crest magic. Once in a while, she would take an opponent head-on while using only her mystical flying egg, and if she couldn't defeat it with that alone, Kurando would immediately dash over to her in assistance via combo. He also noticed that Anastasia seemed to like doing combination attacks with him the most, always the first to volunteer when he was being cornered by a monster, and needed additional force to drive it back. She also carefully watched over the condition of his health whenever the chosen quartet were fighting a particularly-hard enemy, and would immediately cast a Cure spell on him at any sign of fatigue or strain on his face.

The teenage samurai smiled fondly at the reminiscence, and as a pleasant sensation warmed his heart, he realized that over the course of their adventure, he had slowly, but surely began to develop feelings for the Russian princess. That was why he was always so patient with her, so quick to help her in battle when she seemed to be in trouble, and would get a strange feeling whenever her large emerald eyes shone at him with blatant affection. Sure, the others would occasionally poke fun at her because of her periodic acts of childish behavior, or complain about her bossiness once in a while, but none of them would deny that Anastasia was special, very unique to her own right. No one could ever take her place in their close-knit party of eight, and that was just fine with everyone else, for they ultimately liked the young girl's company, even despite her sometimes-aggravating, but **human** faults.

"We're almost there!" Anastasia called out just then, her voice breaking his train of thought.

"Huh?" he shook his head briefly, and averted full attention to his companion, not bothering to look ahead to answer the next questions he asked of her, "Oh! We're close to Inugami Village? How much further?"

"Well, I don't know exactly, but that hut you talked about earlier is straight ahead! Just look! Come on, Kurando! Faster!" she laughed as she commanded him with mock ferocity, and the sound of her delight was melodious to his ears.

"A-all right! But don't get mad if you can't keep up!" Kurando challenged just as playfully while sprinting by her side, his lean legs agilely soaring over the sloppy, rain-drenched mud, and soon, he pulled ahead of her with ease.

The princess immediately pouted in response and retaliated breathlessly, "H-hey! That's mean! You'd better not leave me behind-!"

With a boyish grin on his face, he slowed down enough to let her catch up, and the two ran together in silence the rest of the way, most of their steps matching and practically in-sync with each other. When the teenage duo reached the hut and ducked inside to dwell underneath the blessed roof of protection overhead, both were panting from the previous effort, their lungs starving for oxygen as young hearts pounded fiercely. Outside, the rain poured down heavily, its strength causing everything to become drenched with musky wetness, and the inhabitants of Inugami Village had all gone into their houses for shelter. The branches shook from the force of the descending water, and its adjourning leaves shivered with the brisk movement of the wild breeze, the blades' flimsiness no match against the power of nature.

Securely within the small building, Anastasia quickly straightened up upon recovering, and delicately smoothed out the billowing skirt of her kimono, brushing off any and all specks of dirt spotted. Kurando's hakama top was still covering her head and shoulders, and because of its length extending down to her waist, a good majority of her outfit had been protected from the uncontrolled, splattering mud. After a quick inspection, she released a small sigh of contentment, feeling grateful that her companion had been so kind and generous in lending her part of his garbs without any hesitation, or regard to his own condition. She glanced his way now and noticed that the young fusionist had taken a seat on the lone small bench that rested against the back wall, just a couple of feet away from her position, and was facing outside, giving the observer a perfect view of the village's treasured garden.

"Wow, it sure is pouring down hard-!" the girl commented blatantly, and took a few steps forward until she was in the doorway, peering at the delicate flowers as they succumbed to being battered by raindrops.

"Tsk… yeah, it is," her companion agreed wryly, then asked her, "Are you all right? Your kimono looks… a little thin for this kind of weather."

At the mention, Anastasia drew the hakama closer to her body as slender fingers clung tightly onto the dark-colored material, and she shook her head for emphasis in response to his question while answering aloud, "N-no, I'm fine! But… but what about you? Aren't you cold?"

"A little," he admittedly truthfully, but his voice was warm with care as he continued, "but you're my main concern, Anastasia."

She blushed beautifully at his words, almost swooning before she caught a hold of herself, and was silently glad that her back was currently facing him so he couldn't see the affect that his honesty had on her. When the bashful teenager made a small noise of embarrassment at her own childish reaction, Kurando glanced at her curiously, wondering why she had suddenly fallen quiet instead of typically gushing her adoration for him. Ever since Saki had given her that autumn-colored, snug-fitting kimono, the Russian princess had acted a lot more sober around her crush, and no longer spouted endless promises of love and devotion, even when given the opportunity. His mother must have said something to due her somehow, but what? Following that conversation, did Anastasia still like him? He was a bit surprised at how much he cared to know the answer to that latter question…

Disliking the long, awkward silence that had fallen between them, the dark-haired samurai finally suggested in his usual mild tone, "Would you like to come sit down? I mean, unless you're more comfortable staying there…"

Startled by his sudden invitation, the fourteen-year-old quickly grasped her voice before replying, "O-oh, sure! I, um, just wanted to get a closer look at the flowers, that's all!" Satisfied with that little excuse, she tried to appear calm and cool before turning around to join her companion on the bench, fervently hoping that her cheeks weren't still red from the discovery of his concern for her.

Well, they were still a little pink, but Kurando didn't comment on it; instead, he smiled slightly as he thought of how cute she looked with the faint blush coloring her creamy skin.

When she glanced up at him and caught his gaze, Anastasia presumed that he was eyeing his samurai robe, so she immediately stammered, "Oh, your hakama! Do you want it back now, Kurando?"

A glint of amusement flickered in his crimson orbs as he shook his head and told her, "You can keep it until we get somewhere warmer… I don't know how long it will take for the rain to stop."

"Are you sure you'll be okay? Your shirt is soaked, isn't it?" she persisted, and in that instance, seemed like her old self again, generously concerned with the young swordsman's condition. "I don't want you to get sick from the cold, or anything like that!"

"Yes, I'm sure," he assured her gently, and even waved his hand slightly in dismissal. "I do appreciate your concern, but I'll be fine, so please, don't worry. He he, you know, your family is very lucky to have someone so caring like you."

"Ahaha… um, well…" her blush deepened as she stumbled through her reply, "I just… try to take care of the people I love… I-I mean, my family! Erm, m-my friends too, of course! Ohhh… I'm sorry; I'm not making any sense, am I…?" The braided brunette woefully lowered her face into her cupped palms right after she finished babbling, feeling even more embarrassed than ever for sounding like such an idiot with her response.

"Uh… no, I understood you," Kurando informed her with utmost sincerity, although his own cheeks were slightly flushed as well when he detected the intensity of her underlying emotions. "Anastasia, don't… you don't have to hide…"

When she didn't move for a few minutes, he sighed in slight exasperation, yet nevertheless patiently sat by, willing to wait for her to recover from the awkward episode before he considered looking back at the garden scenery. But after she remained immobile for some time, the samurai hesitated for a moment, and then leaned toward her with his arms outstretched to gently take a hold of her wrists in his grip. He slowly pulled her barrier down, and she didn't resist, allowing him to reveal her face in all her bright-red glory, and the color darkened even more when she realized how close they were to each other. Though he concealed it pretty well, Kurando was also affected by the proximity, and his mouth suddenly went dry as he gazed deeply into her clear-green eyes, and saw the light of affection swirling in her twin depths.

_Wh-__why is Kurando looking at me like that…?_ She questioned inwardly, unable to identify the emotions dwelling in his crimson orbs, only knowing that her heart was pounding fiercely in response, but she managed to find her voice and speak, albeit shyly, "K-Kurando?"

When she murmured his name, so softly and full of innocent wonder, his attention was immediately drawn to her pursed pink lips, and for the first time in his life, an urge from within began persuading him to lean forward even closer to her, and…

A tiny drop of remaining rain water fell from the end of his dark gray bangs just then, and landed right on the tip of her nose, which made Anastasia blink a couple times, startled at the unexpected occurrence. Trying to ease the fluttery feeling building up in her stomach, she raised slightly-trembling fingers toward him, and brushed a few stray strands away from his forehead while remarking an obvious observation, "Y-your hair is wet…"

Her action had the opposite effect on the situation, and in fact intensified his mysterious urge, especially when her small hand drifted down the side of his face on her way of completely withdrawing from his unspoken territory. Just before she left him, the young samurai caught that fugitive traveling hand and raised the back to his lips, where he pressed a brief, feather-light kiss upon it, making the princess blush immediately. The fluttery feeling had moved up from her stomach and was now dancing around in her heart, but for all her timidity, Anastasia didn't seem to dislike what he was doing, just appeared a little nervous and surprised. She elicited a slight gasp when Kurando raised his free hand, still holding onto her other one with his own, and softly stroked her supple cheek with his fingers, amused by the warmth of her shyness, and then gradually retracted his arm.

"A-Anastasia…" he stammered quietly, his unsteady voice and the mysterious light in his eyes suggesting that he also felt a tad uneasy, but now that he knew what he intended to do, his inner strength allowed him to voice, "Can… can I…?"

He trailed off without finishing the question, but Anastasia understood nonetheless, and nodded just slightly, too entranced to speak, inwardly wondering if this was all some kind of elaborate hallucination, Kurando asking her if he could…!

A smile of elation, and perhaps a bit of relief, lit up his expression at her answer, and after returning a small nod of his own in confirmation, he closed his eyes, to which she followed suit, and he slowly leaned toward the petite girl until their lips met. He still held her hand, and almost immediately felt her grip on him tighten a little, almost as if she were trying to find out if he was real, if even this situation itself was real – maybe she thought that she was daydreaming. To assure her, Kurando raised his other arm to rest his hand on her shoulder, and the soft material of her colorful kimono instantly yielded under his touch in eager welcome. Perhaps feeling relieved now, Anastasia relaxed and the tension left her body, so she just concentrated on the delightful sensations of receiving her first kiss, though she wasn't too sure of how to respond.

Since both were inexperienced, neither moved that much, but just the same, they were very content with just having their lips pressed together, staying close to each other in a private world with only the two of them. The expression of their feelings was enough for them to feel happy with such a simple, innocent kiss, and this was just the first one; there would be more kisses in the future, more time to explore and intensify the experience. In that time, everyone else was forgotten, even important figures in their life, and the wispy recollection of the dangerous final battle-to-come was far away, the last thing on their minds. The rain still drizzled rather heavily outside, and it was ironically providing a shield for the young teenagers, so that no one would leave the shelter of their homes and possibly disturb their ever-impacting embrace.

When Kurando finally pulled back, reluctantly by the look in his reopened eyes, both teenagers were blushing and initially turned their heads to look away from each other, though that action had come from admitting the enjoyment of blissful pleasure, not as a result of enduring some painful embarrassment. Numerous questions soared through Anastasia's mind as she wondered what would happen from the kiss, while her companion simply smiled, glad that he had come to terms with his feelings for the darling Russian girl. Now that everything was clear to him, the young swordsman could continue the journey to stop Kato without any uncertainties holding him back, although of course, he would regard the princess with a new fierce protection. He glanced back toward her way with a kind smile, and gently tugged her hand to persuade her to look at him, to which she yielded to his request, allowing him to see the adorable shyness in her bright green eyes.

"Was… was that all right…?" he inquired softly, suddenly feeling self-conscious when he detected her hesitation to speak.

"Th-that was, um…" she took a few seconds to grasp an appropriate word to describe her reaction to their embrace, finally deciding to use the first one that had come to mind, "…wow. Um, yeah, I don't know what other word to use but 'wow'… Erm, well, it was really nice too, but that's not a good enough way to say it, you know? I mean…"

The dark-haired fusionist laughed softly at her cute display of honesty; she was babbling from nervousness again, but he didn't mind the least bit, for that was just part of her person, and he liked all of Anastasia. "I know what you mean… I… I really liked it too."

The color of her cheeks darkened at his admission, but a wide, silly grin formed over her lips, assuring him that she liked hearing of his approval, and she sighed happily as she shifted her position to lay her head on his shoulder. He in turn gently rested his head atop hers, and their hands, still holding one another, easily adjusted so that their fingers could intertwine, and then the union comfortably rested on Kurando's knee. His hair had dried up some since their arrival in the small hut, but the dark gray strands were a bit tousled now, an interesting contrast to the neatly-braided tress of the princess, although her chestnut strands were still covered by the samurai's hakama top. Both facing forward, the young teenagers watched the rain falling outside, at peace and utterly content with each other, individually thinking of what step to take next that would make their relationship official.

She didn't want to ruin the nice, serene moment, but she had to ask, just had to know; "Kurando…? Do… do you like me?"

Inside, he was glad for the boldness of this girl that allowed her to initiate it, for he was very uncertain of how to do so himself; outwardly, he answered, and true to his nature, a bit tentatively, "Y-yes. I… I like you very much, Anastasia."

"So, we're… I mean, are we together, then?" The braided princess inquired softly, her voice a great deal quieter this time from shyness as her cheeks flushed just slightly at the sudden burst of courage given to her that seemed to come out of nowhere.

"I-I would like that," Kurando admitted with a partial smile, and briefly wondered how their friends would take the news – then again, maybe they were already expecting the two to become a couple, so it wouldn't be a big surprise to them.

A fresh surge of adoration and affection soared through her small body at his approval, and the fourteen-year-old sighed happily as she thought of how her family would react when she told them – well, her mother was supportive at the very least. She paled slightly when she remembered that there was still one more thing to do, and that was to inform her new boyfriend of the little arrangement that Saki had already set up, prior to their established relationship. Sitting next to her and quietly contemplating the situation, Kurando was truly nothing short of content with his life; his mother had the utmost faith in him, his village supported him fully, and most importantly, he was now _together_ with Anastasia. He shifted a bit so he could move his arm and rest it across her shoulders as he held her closely to his side, and then suddenly recalled the event that would take place when he returned from fighting Kato with the others. "Anastasia?"

"Uh huh?" she returned with her own inquiry.

"After we finish our business with Kato… will you come to my ceremony?"

"Of course!"

The enthusiasm of her reply made his smile widen, and since there was no more need for words, the young samurai relaxed once more, settling comfortably into his seat to continue watching the falling rain outside until it permitted the duo to leave the hut.

Well, now that she knew he definitely liked her, the chestnut-haired girl finally had enough courage to voice the truth of their relationship's status, and she began to say slowly, "Oh, by the way, Kurando…"

"Yes, Anastasia?"

"We're, um… kind of engaged."

"…What??"

Apparently, even with their mutual affections for each other, they still had a few little kinks to work out.

**The End**

**Author's Note: **Ahh, I love Kurando and Anastasia so much that I just had to write another fic on them! :) This isn't part of my Princess and Samurai series because what happens in this story (unfortunately) has nothing to do with any of the cut-scenes from the game. Well, I really hope that I didn't make Kurando seem OOC in making the move on Anastasia, but you readers liked seeing them kiss, right? :D Anyhow, I'm off to work on some more story ideas now, but thanks muchly to all of you for reading this, and please leave a review to let me know what you thought of this fic!

**With love for my fans,**

**Tiger5913**


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